OPEC’s Latest Agreement May Not Stabilize Oil Prices

The 14-strong Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), along with 10 oil states outside of the cartel, has reached an agreement to limit oil output until the end of 2018. This decision comes after what has already been more than a year of production cuts, the Telegraph reports . This new deal, wider and more inclusive than the one running since the beginning of this year, will also extend to Nigeria and Libya. Previously, these two countries were exempt from the production quotas, despite being OPEC members, because of their struggles with internal political unrest. OPEC crucially reached an agreement despite the last-minute posturing from Russian oil minister Alexander Novak, who warned that oil prices above $60 a barrel could reignite a production boom in the U.S. shale industry. The agreement reached by the OPEC and non-OPEC members faces several serious challenges in achieving its objective of stabilising oil […]